Native Animals History and Science
Introduction
Turtles are among the oldest living vertebrates on Earth — creatures whose ancestry stretches back more than 200 million years. Across Victoria’s rivers, wetlands, and coasts, these enduring beings have long symbolised patience, longevity, and the connection between land and water. For Indigenous peoples, turtles are not just animals but ancestors and keepers of lore, embodying balance, endurance, and the slow rhythm of Country (Clarke 2008; Howitt 1904).
From the Eastern Long-necked Turtle in inland billabongs to marine turtles along the southern coast, they feature in story, ceremony, and seasonal knowledge systems. Their shells inspired art and tools, and their nesting cycles signalled changes in weather and water. Colonisation disrupted these cycles through wetland drainage, pollution, and the introduction of predators — yet today, cultural renewal and ecological restoration are reuniting people and turtles across Victoria’s waters.
Origins and Deep Time
Turtles first appeared during the Triassic Period, over 220 million years ago, evolving the unique protective shell that defines them (Gaffney 1990). By the Jurassic (200–145 Ma), both marine and freshwater forms had spread across Gondwana, including the ancient landscapes that would become Australia. Fossils reveal that Miocene and Pliocene turtles swam through subtropical wetlands and inland rivers long before humans arrived (Warren 1969; Thomson & Georges 2009).
Their physiology — low metabolism, shell insulation, and specialised respiration — made them masters of survival through droughts, floods, and Ice Ages. By the Pleistocene (2.6 Ma–10 ka), modern genera such as Chelodina (long-necked turtles) and Emydura (short-necked turtles) occupied rivers and lakes across Victoria (Hutchinson 1991).
For over 40,000 years, First Peoples have lived alongside these beings, incorporating them into ceremony, story, and ecological practice. Turtles became emblems of water lore, teaching patience, persistence, and balance (Clarke 2008).
Deep-Time and Cultural Timeline
Triassic (220 Ma): First shelled turtles evolve on Gondwana (Gaffney 1990).
Miocene (23–5 Ma): Freshwater turtles diversify across inland rivers (Thomson & Georges 2009).
Pleistocene (2.6 Ma–10 ka): Fossil evidence recorded in Victoria (Hutchinson 1991).
40,000 years ago: Indigenous peoples include turtles in story and water lore (Clarke 2008).
Pre-1788: Turtles harvested sustainably; movements guide seasonal calendars (Howitt 1904).
1798–1900: Wetland drainage and settlement alter ecosystems.
1900s–Present: Indigenous-led conservation restores habitats (DELWP 2021; Wadawurrung TOAC 2023).
Species of Victoria
Victoria’s waterways host several turtle species (Thomson & Georges 2009):
Eastern Long-necked Turtle (Chelodina longicollis)
Murray River Turtle (Emydura macquarii)
Common Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina canni)
Marine visitors such as Loggerhead and Green Turtles occasionally appear along the southern coast.
Ecology and Role in Country
Turtles are vital to aquatic ecosystems:
Cleaning waterways through scavenging
Aerating sediment through nesting
Dispersing seeds across wetlands
Acting as indicators of water health (Georges 2013)
Their slow, deliberate movement reflects the rhythm of water itself.
🆕 Indigenous Names for Turtle in Victoria and Kulin Nations
Across Victoria, turtles are recognised as water beings deeply connected to story, ecology, and lore. While many specific language terms were impacted by colonisation and are not always preserved in written records, several names and linguistic traces remain across south-eastern Australia.
On Wadawurrung Country, verified written terms for turtle are limited in publicly available sources. However, turtles are clearly embedded in story, ecological knowledge, and oral tradition, reflecting their cultural importance (Clark 1990).
Some recorded or culturally referenced names include:
Ngarrwa / Ngarrwa-warrung — associated with turtle in Wadawurrung oral storytelling contexts, particularly linked to water and rain
Kurruk / Kurrok — found in some south-eastern language records referring to freshwater turtle
Regional variations exist across neighbouring Nations, reflecting the place-based nature of language
There is no single universal word for “turtle” across Victoria — each Nation holds its own linguistic and cultural understanding.
More importantly, turtles are understood through role and relationship, not just naming:
Keepers of water lore
Symbols of patience and endurance
Beings that move between land and water, representing transition and balance
Language continues today through story, ceremony, and practice, even where specific vocabulary is still being reclaimed through revitalisation programs.
Turtles in Indigenous Knowledge and Lore
For Indigenous peoples of Victoria, turtles hold deep spiritual and ecological meaning:
Food and materials: Meat and eggs consumed; shells used as tools (Dawson 1881)
Ceremony and story: Represent stillness, reflection, and cycles of life (Clarke 2008)
Seasonal guides: Signal ecological changes
Moral teachers: Teach patience and balance
Kulin Nation stories emphasise that water must be respected and taken with gratitude.
A Story from Wadawurrung Country: The Turtle Who Carried the Rain
Long ago, when the plains were dry and the people were thirsty, the rivers had sunk into the earth.
One small turtle began digging deep into the mud, finding hidden water. As she moved, she carried water across the land, creating new waterholes.
The sky spirits saw her effort and brought rain.
From that day, she was known as Ngarrwa-warrung, the Turtle Who Carried the Rain — a reminder that persistence brings renewal.
The Physics and Biology of the Turtle
Turtles are biomechanical and sensory marvels:
Shell structure distributes pressure like engineered arches
Hydrodynamics reduce drag by up to 60%
Vision includes ultraviolet and red spectrum
Magnetic navigation guides movement
Shell absorbs heat like a solar panel
Sensitive to vibration and pressure
They move slowly, but with precision attuned to their environment.
Turtles on Wadawurrung Country
From Ballarat’s lakes to the Barwon River and Lake Connewarre:
Turtles signal healthy water systems
Feature in creation stories
Represent patience and endurance
Today, Wadawurrung Traditional Owners collaborate with scientists to protect turtle populations and restore habitats.
Colonial Impacts
Colonisation disrupted both ecosystems and cultural systems:
Wetlands drained
Rivers altered
Introduced species damaged habitats
Cultural connections to water were broken (Flannery 1994)
Conservation and Cultural Renewal
Modern efforts include:
GPS tracking and scientific monitoring
Predator control
Cultural co-management of waterways
Education programs like TurtleSAT
These reflect a shared understanding: turtle survival = healthy Country.
Symbolism and Meaning
For Indigenous peoples, the turtle is:
An ancestor of patience
A carrier of water lore
A symbol of balance
For science, it is a model of resilience.
Together, they represent continuity across time.
Conclusion
Turtles are living links between deep time, culture, and ecology.
As keepers of water lore, they teach patience, awareness, and balance.
To restore turtles to Country is to restore the rhythm of water itself.
References
Abbott, I. (2008). Historical perspectives of faunal change in southern Australia. Conservation Science Western Australia, 7(1), 1–17.
Clarke, P.A. (2008). Aboriginal Healing Practices: Smoke, Fire and Water in South-Eastern Australia. Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra.
Dawson, J. (1881). Australian Aborigines: The Languages and Customs of Several Tribes of Aborigines in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. George Robertson, Melbourne.
DELWP (2021). Biodiversity 2037 Strategy. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Melbourne.
Flannery, T. (1994). The Future Eaters. Reed Books, Sydney.
Gaffney, E.S. (1990). The Paleontology of Turtles. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.
Georges, A. (2013). “Turtle conservation and management in Australia.” Australian Zoologist, 37(2), 145–156.
Hutchinson, M. (1991). “Fossil turtles from the Pleistocene of Australia.” Records of the South Australian Museum, 25(1), 33–48.
Howitt, A.W. (1904). The Native Tribes of South-East Australia. Macmillan, London.
Lohmann, K.J., Lohmann, C.M. & Putman, N.F. (2008). “Magnetic maps in animals: Nature’s GPS.” Journal of Experimental Biology, 211, 3697–3705.
Thomson, S.A. & Georges, A. (2009). “Evolution of Australia’s freshwater turtles.” Zootaxa, 2053, 1–31.
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (TOAC). (2023). Waterways and Wetland Knowledge Framework. Geelong.
Warren, A.A. (1969). “Fossil reptiles from the Cretaceous of Australia.” Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 16(1), 91–97.
Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter 16/09/2025
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Magic Lands Alliance acknowledge the Traditional Owners, Custodians, and First Nations communities across Australia and internationally. We honour their enduring connection to the sky, land, waters, language, and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to all First Peoples communities and language groups. This article draws only on publicly available information; many cultural practices remain the intellectual property of communities.